# Chapter 5. Getting Started

"Using only what you see, can you get from A to B?" (Help for one of the toughest riddles in "the 7th Guest")

Thus far, KDE may appear to be little more than another window manager with some handy desktop features. But hold onto your seat; in the next few sections, we'll introduce you to features that'll assure you will never again try to operate your system Unix without KDE!

# 5.1. Editing Files

Since you do not only have KDE applications installed on your system, you probably know the mess of editing ASCII style configuration files. But in fact, there are a lot of other file types that need to be edited this way. For example, the raw SGML source for this guide was written ASCII style, as was the source code for the KDE programs themselves. We will now show you how you can use the KEdit facility in KDE to edit ASCII files of your own.

## 5.1.1. Opening a Window Containing Your Home Directory

Click on the application starter and choose Home directory. A window showing the contents of your home directory will pop up. To see a more detailed listing of files in your home directory, do the following:

- Select Show Dot Files from the View menu

- Select Show Tree from the View menu

On the left hand of the screen, a tree view of your file system structure should appear, including any "hidden files" -- files or directories beginning with a period.

## 5.1.2. The File Manager Screen

We tried to make the File Manager as easy as possible to use, and if you know other window managers (including those built into other Operating Systems) with integrated file management, many of the following concepts should be familiar to you.

On the top, there is a File menu which contains functions to open and close file manager windows. You can also print the current contents.

Want to visit the Internet? Just choose File > Open Location (or press Alt-L) and enter an URL. For example, if you want to visit the KDE homepage, enter http://www.kde.org. You can also quickly FTP files using this method. KDE is "Internet ready", which means that you can load and save files not only on your local hard disk, but also on remote FTP and HTTP servers. While other operating systems and desktops make a distinction between local and remote file systems, KDE does not.

The Edit menu offers functions to select, copy and move files. We will use them later. Already having used the View menu, you have probably seen that you can view the content in many different ways. Just play around a bit and see what happens.

You will undoubtedly find the Bookmarks to be extremely useful: Now you can remember virtually any link, be it on the local machine or somewhere on the Internet.

The Tools menu helps you find the notorious files-that-I-put-somewhere-I-do-not-remember-anymore.

## 5.1.3. Navigating Through Directories

We will now pick one of your configuration files and edit it. First, we must change the directory in the File Manager. Scroll down the tree view on the left side of the screen until you find the directory `/etc`. Double-click on `etc`. You will see a list of files in the right window.

## 5.1.4. Editing a File

Scroll down until you find the file `motd` and click on it with the right mouse button. In the context menu, select Open With. A new window will pop up. Enter

     kedit

and click on Ok or press Enter. Viola!

## 5.1.5. The Editor Screen

The more you work with KDE, the more you will notice that most screens and applications look and feel the same. The KEdit File menu is a great example of this: Almost every other KDE program has the same menu, allowing you to create new files, open existing files from your local file system or (coming soon) even the web, save them (soon even on the web, too!), print it or mail it to somebody else. The Edit menu can also be found in most KDE applications, allowing you to cut and paste information between programs. You can also search and replace text. Using the Options Menu, you can customize the editor in many different ways. For example, you can increase the font size to suit your monitor resolution -- and your eyes. Of course, as in any other KDE application, you find a Help Menu, offering you on-line help whenever you need it.

## 5.1.6. Using the Editor

Most `motd` files contain useless stuff like "Do not forget to back up your data" or "Do not annoy the system manager". Boring. Let's change the text so that users logging in get the really important information. You can navigate through the text using the arrow keys, and mark sections of text with Shift-Arrows or by using the mouse with the left button pressed. Use the Edit Menu to cut and paste text. Enter whatever you want, or use the following (great) example:

     Welcome!

     This machine now has KDE installed, providing you with a great,
     easy-to-use interface and a consistent Look-and-Feel for all your
     applications. For more information on how to get KDE running on your
     account, please e-mail the administrator.

## 5.1.7. Saving Your Work

Now that you have changed the `motd` file, it is time to save the file, putting the changes into effect. To do this, you can use either the File Menu, or you can use the Save Icon on the toolbar. Finally, finish your work by closing the editor and file manager window. You can do this by clicking the "X" button on the top-right of the window, by using the window menu of the title bar, or by choosing File > Quit. Simple and elegant, isn't it?